Aznar Line (Sota y Aznar until 1939) operated cargo and passenger services from Spain to South America, United States and the Caribbean. Later they were allocated a large share of the Canary Islands fruit and vegetable market to Britain, sailing to both London and Liverpool. In the late 1940s, the Spanish government ordered six Monasterio Class cargo-passenger ships off around 10000 grt. Three of these were allocated to the Aznar Line: Monte Urbasa (1948), Monte Urquiola (1949) and Monte Ulia (1952). Aznar ordered a fourth ship, the Monte Udala (1948). A similar ship, the Monte Umbe was delivered in 1959. In 1974, the first of two large cruise-ferries arrived, the Monte Toledo entering service between Southampton and Santander. A sistership, Monte Granada, was delivered a year later for summer service between Liverpool and the Canary Islands (Amsterdam-Southampton-Santander in winter). The services were ahead of their time, and the ships were sold to Libya in 1977 as Garnata and Toletela. They remained in service in 2002.